spec_evofandomcom-20200214-history
Australia (What if the Asteroid Missed?)
Main Article: What if the Asteroid Missed? Australia, land of the marsupials, has possibly the strangest and most exotic fauna of all the continents. Mammals Marsupials Like home earth Australia, the most common mammals are marsupials. However, for unclear reasons, most of home earths Australian marsupials never evolved. Instead, most of the local marsupials are closely related to South American species, with the common predators being Gondwanacyonoids. The australian species are grouped into one large family, the Plummetursidae. One species, the Yeepa, has evolved a form remarkably similar to the home earth Thylacine, a striking example of convergent evolution. Taking the prize of top terrestrial mammalian predator is a fearsome hunter called the Custarine, an excellent climber, the australian equivalent of a leopard. The Custarine is also noted of its unusually large hind feet, which allow it to stand upright, in a manner similar to a kangaroo. The Custarine also bares a resemblance to a fictitious home earth marsupial, the 'Drop Bear', hence the scientific name Plummetursus sarcasticus. Sample Species: *Custarine, Plummetursus sarcasticus *Yeepa, Felicyon tasmaniensis Placental Mammals Herbivorous mammals are very different to home earth however. For one, many are placentals known as 'Ozsloths', which are flat footed, bear-like xenarthrans, though wombat-like marsupial herbivours are also known. The Ozsloths are large animals, similar to bears, and to the namesake ground sloths. Unlike some other xenarthrans, the Ozsloths have flat feet, and walk on the palms of their hands, much like bears. Several species live on the continent, with larger species living on the eastern side of the continent, and smallest species living in the central arid outback. A dwarf species, about one meter tall at the sholder, lives in Tasmania. Ozsloths are grouped into the family Ursuvernatidae, or bear sloths. The other family of australian xenarthrans are the Arboramplexatorids, or 'tree huggers'. Tree huggers are almost all arboreal, being similar in lifestyle to koalas, and to familiar home earth sloths. Tree huggers are today restricted to the east side of the continent, though Pleistocene fossils indicate that theu once lived on the southwest coast. Genetic studies show that, despite lacking armour, and overall looking like ground sloths, the Australian xenarthrans, and thus all xenarthrans in this timeline, are actually related to armadillos. Sample Species: *Common Ozsloth, Ursuvernatus vulgaris *Southern Bear Sloth, Ursuvernatus australis *Tree Hugger, Arboramplexator phascoloarctoides Monotremes The monotremes of this realm are much the same as their home earth counterparts, though only the platypus lineage exists, with echidnas only evolving in the home earth Miocene. However, there is not one species of platypus, but four, and they also occure on the western side of the continent, and in New Guinea. The oddball of the family is a monster. The 'Bunyipus' is a terrestrial member of the Cryovociferatidae, which are otherwise marine, otter-like antarctic animals. Routhly the size of a large dog, but with the build and predatory tendancies of a honey badger, the Bunyipus is a powerful predator of most animals in their habitat, particularily tough or dangerous prey other predators avoid, like snakes and small monitor lizards. The electrosense that most monotremes have is lessened in the Bunyipus, but is still strong enough to find buried prey like frogs and false file snakes. Sample Species: *Platypus, p-''Ornithorynchus sp.'' *Bunyipus, Terrestriornithorynchus wolverinus Dinosaurs Nearly all Australian birds can fly, although many larger ones spend more time on the ground. This is probably because of the presance of bird-like non-avian dinosaurs. The largest non-avian dinosaur in australia is the omnivorous, emu-like Demun, a large Australonychid, various smaller relatives occupy running niches, that in home earth are occupied by flightless groundbirds. A more predatory relative of the Demun, the similar sized Corvan, is the most predatory member of the group, and is comparable to the closely related Notonychids of the Americas. Odontaviformes have produced a miriad of species ranging from the hawk-like Australian Hazzard to the sparrow sized Tuskfinch. Most of the large herbivores of the continent are also dinosaurs, known as Ozbeasts. Avian Dinosaurs *Australian Hazzard, Odontornis australiensis. *Toothfinch, Odontopasser capra. Non-avian Dinosaurs *Demun, Australonychus dromaius. *Corvan, Tasmantovenator megacorvoides *Tasmanian Noto, Australonychus diemensis. *Devil Dugong, Gojiradugon australiensis. *Greater Ozbeast,'' Australotherium elephantoides'' Pterosaurs Anurognathoidea In Australia, the primative Anurognathid pterosaurs have survived, and have evolved into a superfamily of terrifying, if relatively small, aireal predators, the Anurognathoidea. The Anurognathoids of both worlds had deep skulls and sharp teeth. The only surviving family, the Aerocarcharids, or 'Anures', have taken this skull design to the next level, evolving shark-like teeth, and powerful jaws. 'Aerocarcharid', in fact, means 'sky shark'. Anurognathids were also very small pterosaurs, but with those niches taken by birds, the Aerocarcharids evolved into larger forms, some with wingspans of over two metres. These predators now dominate the Australian skys. An interesting feature of this group is the presance of a long tail, made mostly of cartilage. The long tail is a feature only found in this family amongst all other Anurognathoids, and most likely evolved for display purposes. The lack of a bony support means the tail is very flexible, and there are no major blood vessels or nerves in the tail. In the event of an attack by larger predators, the tail can be dropped, much like the tail of many lizards. The lack of a tail reduces the speed of the enimal, but dramatically increases the manourverability, helping them to escape. When the tail evolved is unkown, as the cartilage that forms most of it doesn't fossilize, however, trace impresions of the tail in fossils suggest it was already presant by the Miocene. Some species have been blown by air currents to the islands north of Australia, where a wide variety of specialised species now exists. A similar event resulted in the colonisation of the south pacific islands, and New Zealand. On New Zealand's North Island, where most of the predatory avian fauna of the South Island is not presant, these pterosaurs have become apex predators, with heads measuring up to 50 cms long and with wingspans of over three metres. Sample Species: *Sky Shark, Aerocarcharius tyrannus *Desert Anure, Aerocarcharius desertus *New Zealand Giant Anure, Harpydraco novaezealandiea Crocodilians Crocodilians are much the same as those on home earth, though there is a family of primarily terrestrial species known as Terracrocs, which are similar to the Pleistocene, home earth crocodile Quinkana. Terracrocs are known to frequent the northern areas, and act as top terrestrial predator across most of the continent. One small species in Papua New Guinea and northern Australia may be a primative Sebecosuchian. The traditional crocodile fauna, including the notorious Saltwater Crocodile, is relatively the same as on home earth. Sample Species: *Australian False Jagugator, Terrasuchus major *Saltwater Crocodile, Crocodylus paraporosus Chelonians The most well armoured Australian residents are the Panzerturtles, giant descendants of Meiolaniid turtles that fill the niche of Ankylosaurs. These juggernaughts are much bigger than any similar turtle, even their extinct home earth relatives like Meiolania and Ninjemys, and large individuals can tip the scales at over a ton in weight. An alternate name, given by fanciful pioneers, is the 'Dragon Turtle', mainly beause the horns that characterise the group have evolved into lances that can impale an attacking Custarine or Corvan, making these otherwise slow and docile herbivores a dangerous prey. These animals, being hot blooded only because their great size and solid shell retains the heat efficiently, are only found in the northern and central areas of the continent. Sample Species: *Whacktail,'' Juggernautus major''. *Turtoceras, Juggernautus aridus. *Dragon Turtle, Dracochelys aggressivus Other Reptiles Unlike other australian groups, the Squamates are relatively unchanged compared to home earth. One different family that is extinct on home earth are the Matsoiids, a family of archaic snakes that went extinct about 40,000 years ago in home earth. These snakes are widespread in Australia and South East Asia, with their closest home earth equivalents being file snakes. The snakes are known to spend their time buried in the mud, a tempting food source for Bunyips. Category:What if the Asteroid Missed?